Lieutenant Devron looked about him, slightly confused and disorientated.  A moment ago he’d just shot a man; technically in cold blood.  Even if that man had been possessed by an Entity which had designs on enslaving the planets population; if not potentially those of other planets to.  Killing someone like that was never a first option, and far from easy to make, though possibly being a spur of the moment decision had been the only reason it had worked.  It would weigh on his mind for years but Jason hope all the lives he’d saved would balance things out in the end. 

Right now he felt thankful for being in one piece, rather than a cloud of scattering atoms after the impact of the meteorite.  Then again recent events had taught him not to take anything for granted or at face value.  The stone had turned to dusk.  Jason could feel traces of it on the tips of his fingers and in the palm of his hand. So where and just as importantly, when was he?

The movement of three figures beside him gave the first clues to the answers he was looking for.  Torf, Tyson and Appleby had all made a move towards the red wooden markers that indicated the way to the shed and the transmitter inside.  There had been no old man at the log cabin to greet them this time.  In fact having died nearly a hundred years ago; the cabin itself had never been build.  It was just a bare patch of snow covered ground.

When the girl came running up to him in a blue coat and mustard colour beret, the idea that he was simply going round in circles sprung into his mind.  Jason signalled for the rest of the group to continue on.  Smiling at the realisation that was exactly what he’d said before.  But the girl wasn’t alone not this time; a much older woman followed her.

“You’re looking remarkably young and healthy for someone that was here a hundred years ago.” Remarked the elderly woman; with a smile on her face. “Though much of what I remember may have been what I dreamed. It’s hard to get one’s head round.”

“I know exactly how you feel.” Jason replied. “Who would this young lady be?” He asked looking back at the young girl who seemed a little puzzled about what was going on.

“This is my granddaughter, Abigale.”  Céline informed him happily. “Oh, I have something important to give you.”  It was at this point the Lieutenant noticed the wooden box she had with her.  The woman lifted up the two clasps and opened it carefully; revealing a cylinder inside.  The cylinder containing the antimatter he’d left at the shed.

“How did you end up with it?” Jason asked Céline.

“When a young girl sees a stranger ender a building and another guy she knows follow him, a girl can get sort of noisy.” Her mind wondered back to the start of some very bizarre events many years ago. “I heard the fighting but when I plucked up the courage to push the door open, you’d both vanished into thin air!”

“I’ve been doing a lot of that of that lately.” Devron half laughed to himself.

“Something told me that one day you’d be back.” Céline declared. “Took your bloody time though!” She added light-heartedly.

The two of them chatted as they walked to catch up with the rest of the away team with the girl following just behind carrying her favourite toy, a stuffed deer like animal with an elephants head and fox’s tail. Something her grandmother had made just after Abigale’s mother had been born. 

The shed and tower stood right where it had always been, with the machinery inside that linked up and operated the defence satellites in orbit.  Someone had pulled a couple of wires out which had preventing the equipment from operating correctly.  There was one person on the top of Dervon’s list of suspects, but he wasn’t going to say anything.  Some things are better left unexplained.

It wouldn’t take much for Torf to get the whole thing up and running again.

            **********

When he beamed back up to the USS Jaxartes a couple of hours later, it was with a sense of relief , part of him just wanted to head to his quarters, flop down and sleep.  Dervon didn’t make it all that far though, apparently the rest of the crew had other ideas regarding how he should spend his early evening. 

As his First Officer ushered him into the Aft Observation Lounge, it became clear they hadn’t forgotten his Birthday at all.  He smiled broadly as they all yelled “Happy Birthday.”  Chief Petty Officer Lose passed him a glass of wine, which Jason took a small sip of.  It reminded him of the last drink he’d shared with the entity and his imaginary family.  He looked across at Phoebe who as engaged in a conversation with Cho, which they’d most likely started before his arrival.  He’d created a life with that young Greek woman standing over the other side of the room.  It had seemed so wonderful and perfect, but surely something like that could never happen, not in the real world.

“Penny for them.” Lyanna broke his train of thought.

“Oh, you’ll need more than a penny, trust me.” He replied, clinking his glass against hers and taking another sip. “You’d never believe me any way.” 

There was something different about her Captain right now.  He seemed calmer, more assured of himself.  Oh she knew the hell and torment he’d been going through these last couple of months.  Had he really thought he was that good at hiding it?  She knew the rest of the crew hadn’t noticed it, except possibly the doctor.  Those two did get on rather well.  But no, something had happened down on the planet, it had brought out a bit of the man she’d first met at the academy.  She wasn’t going to press for answers though, that would come later.  Now was time to celebrate.  You only get one life, so enjoy it as best you can. At least that’s what she believed.  Jason’s view of life was a little different; sometimes you do get more than one life.

As Devron stared out of the window looking down on the planet below; he pondered the impact his actions had made.  He’d altered history, may be only a tiny bit, but it was changed.  People had lived who before had died, children had been born that originally would have never existed.  It was a lot to think about.  Then there was the Entity; what was it and where had it come from, where there anymore either on New Alberta or any other planet.  Just as important, having witnessed at first-hand what it was capable of; who’d captured the Entity and where they still around? 

He felt an arm partly wrap around his waist.  Memories came flooding back of a Honeymoon in Athens that had never really happened.  Now I’m here. Part of him wished he’d never left that dream world. “You’re doing an awful lot of thinking.” Came Phoebe voice softly. 

Jason turned to face her. “Have you ever thought about changing the past or creating a different future?”

“Many times.” The doctor replied. “But then I wouldn’t be in the here and now.”

“Well I for one am very glad you are here right now.” He commented with a smile. 

Across the room Chad Harris was half way through a cheese sandwich; watching the exchange between captain and doctor.  He gave Cho a gentle nudge in the elbow. “Are those two…..you know?”

The young Korean communications officer looked at him and then followed his gaze tilting her head thoughtfully. “Not yet. But I wouldn’t rule it out, given time at least.” 

“A double wedding perhaps?” Chad winked.

The kick in the ankle may have been a touch harder than Cho had intending, but the New Zealander got the message, not to be so cheeky. Watching him hobble for a moment, she both wanted to laugh and give a kiss at the same time.  He was a pain at times, but he was her pain and that was all that mattered. 

Spotting Ensign Harris’s plight Devron commented to Andrianakis. “Oh, to be young and in love!”

The Greek woman paused a moment. “Hold on he’s about six weeks older than you.” She finished off the drink in her hand. “Any way shall I be mother and go cut the cake?”

Jason merely nodded in agreement as she walked over to the table.  His thoughts were back in another world for a brief moment, remembering she had been a mother, at least in another lifetime.  But right here and now; these are the days of our lives, and the best he could do was to live them.